It is well known to those skilled in the art of sewing that gathered portions of material are common, and that such can be difficult to manufacture. For example, gathers are commonly used in the manufacture of clothing articles such as women's skirts, draperies, and decorative items such as quilted products. However, it is well known that in the fabrication of a gather, making each gather, or pleat, of consistent size can be very difficult. This is especially the case where a given width of fabric must be used to create a gather of a given size. For example, a specific drapery may require a bottom width of three feet (3') and a top width of two feet (2'). In this instance, a three foot width of material must be evenly gathered to a two foot width.
In another example, a quilted square may define a four inch (4") piece of fabric that must be gathered to define a three inch (3") square. In either of these examples, or in any other situations in which a gather must be formed, the finished gather is typically formed using trial and error methods of evenly distributing the gathers along the width of the fabric. However, prior to the present invention, there has been no mechanism provided for accurately and conveniently forming the gathers.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a device for assisting in the fabrication of a gather in a sewn material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device whereby a first given length of fabric may be quickly and evenly gathered into a second given length.